1. Field
The technology of the disclosure relates to termination of fiber optic connectors on optical fibers or fiber optic cables.
2. Technical Background
Benefits of utilizing optical fiber include extremely wide bandwidth and low noise operation. Because of these advantages, optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications, including but not limited to broadband voice, video, and data transmission in communications networks. As a result, communications networks include a number of optical interconnection points in fiber optic equipment and between fiber optic cables in which optical fibers must be interconnected via fiber optic connections. To conveniently provide these fiber optic connections, fiber optic connectors are provided. A fiber optic connector includes a housing that provides internal components for receiving, supporting, protecting, and aligning one or more end portions of optical fibers exposed from a fiber optic cable(s) when mated with other fiber optic connectors or adapters provided in fiber optic equipment or fiber optic cables. Fiber optic connectors may be installed on fiber optic cables in the field. Alternatively, fiber optic cables may be “pre-connectorized” during the manufacturing of the fiber optic cables.
In this regard, a fiber optic connector typically employs a fiber optic connector sub-assembly in the form of a pre-assembled ferrule holder module. The connector sub-assembly contains a ferrule holder that holds a ferrule. A ferrule is a component that receives, supports, and positions one or more optical fibers in a known location with respect to a housing of a fiber optic connector. The ferrule holder has a passage extending therethrough that is axially aligned with a ferrule bore in the ferrule. Thus, when the housing of an assembled fiber optic connector is mated with another fiber optic connector or adapter, the optical fiber(s) disposed in the ferrule is positioned in a known, fixed location about the housing of the fiber optic connector. Thus, the optical fiber(s) are aligned with other optical fiber(s) provided in the mated fiber optic connector or adapter to establish an optical connection.
A fiber optic connector may be terminated on an optical fiber(s) in a factory or in the field. To terminate a fiber optic connector on an optical fiber(s), an epoxy may first be disposed in the ferrule holder passage. The optical fiber(s) extending from a stripped fiber optic cable is then inserted into the ferrule holder passage of the fiber optic connector sub-assembly and into the ferrule bore of the ferrule. If the ferrule is a “pass-through” ferrule, an end portion(s) of the optical fiber(s) is extended through the ferrule bore on an end face of the ferrule. The fiber optic connector sub-assembly may then be subjected to a curing processing to cure the epoxy to secure the optical fiber(s) in the ferrule holder passage. Thereafter, the face of the optical fiber(s) extending through the ferrule bore at the end face of the ferrule may be prepared and polished to prepare an optical end face on the ferrule of the fiber optic connector sub-assembly. Also, field terminations of fiber optic connectors may employ assembly of fiber optic connector sub-assemblies in the factory as described above, where an optical fiber stub(s) are left extending out of the rear end of the fiber optic connector sub-assembly. The optical fiber stub(s) can then be fusion spliced to optical fibers stripped from a fiber optic cable in the field by technicians.
These methods of terminating a fiber optic connector on an optical fiber(s) in fiber optic cable preparations include manual labor. The influence of manual labor in the termination process provides cost, affects quality, and can decrease throughput in processing fiber optic connector terminations. Automated fiber optic connector termination processes for fiber optic cable preparations have been employed to reduce manual labor influence, but at significant capital costs. Even so, these automated fiber optic connector terminations processes may not be flexible with respect to terminating varieties of fiber optic connectors or fiber optic cable types. Further, with these fiber optic connector termination processes, if one fiber optic connector termination fails, it must be reworked or the entire fiber optic cable must scrapped. In either case, the fiber optic cable assembly can be delayed, thereby disrupting fiber optic cable assembly throughput and increasing scrapped fiber optic cables, increasing costs as a result.